Method of welding



March 26, 1935. G. w. MEER METHOD OF' WELDING Filed Dec. l2, 1931 M 3 w w .III A I. lll/"l/"l/l/ /2 Patented Mar. 26, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

The invention is a method of welding by which plates such as used in tank and ship construction may be joined by welding the edges with the use of a buttstrap having beveled edges and a V rib in which the rib is placed between the abutting square edges of the plates, making it possible to weld without rivet holes thru the plates and without beveling the edges of the plates.

IOne object of the invention is to provide a method of welding plates by which the use of rivets thru the plates may be eliminated.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method of welding in which it is not necessary to bevel the edges of the plates.

Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic method of welding the edges of plates together with a buttstrap in which the buttstrap is made of welding material and shaped to flow into the weld fill as the electrode is applied. Y

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method of welding which may be used in any type of plate construction.

And a still further object of the invention is to provide an improved method of welding plates which permits of a more simple, efficient, and economical construction.

With these ends in view the invention embodies the use of a buttstrap with beveled edges and a V' shaped rib for welding the edges of plates with abutting square edges in which the buttstrap is placed against one side of the plates with the V r'ib between the edges of the'plates and the welding electrode applied to the rib to cause the same-to flow to form the weld fill, or to a Weld filling material to fill the space Abetween the edges of thev plates and V rib and also between the beveled edgesgof the buttstrap and plates.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view showing a typical weld formed by this improved method.

Figure 2 is a view showing a buttstrap asv used in automatic welding inposition before welding.

Figure 3 is a view showing the proiile of a buttstrap with a V rib.

Figure 4 is a similar view showing a rib with concave sides.

Figure 5 is also a similar view showing a rib with a rounded vertex.

Figure 6 is also a similar view showing a rib with a V groove in the tip thereof.

Figure 7 is a view showing a buttstrap with beveled edges at the back between which a reinforcing plate or strut may be welded.

Figure 8 is a view showing a buttstrap with a plate at the back having beveled edges to which another plate may be welded.

Figure 9 is a view showing a standard structural shape with a V rib formed on one of the flat surfaces thereof. y

Figure 10 is a view showing a method of clamping the buttstrap to the upper edge of a plate strake for holding the buttstrap as the lower edge is tack welded to the plate.

Figure 11 is a view showing the clamp removed and the next plate strake inserted and held by bolts thru the buttstrap while the welding is completed.

Figure l2 is a view showing the weld completed and the lower edge of the first plate strake Welded to the bottom of a tank or the like. l Y

Figure 13 is a detail showing a portion of a typical buttstrap.

In the drawing the method of forming the weld is shown as it would appear in which numeral l indicates a typical buttstrap, numeral 2 the beveled edges, and numeral 3 the V rib.

It will be understood that the buttstrap may be of any shape or design and also that the V 'rib may be formed on an 'angle iron as shown in Figure 9 or on a structural shape of any type or description. With the design shown in Figure 1 the plates to be welded are provided wtih square ends 4 and 5 and the buttstrap 1 is placed against the sides of the plates with the V rib 3 between the edges of the plates, and the space between the beveled edges 2 and the surfaces oi' the plates, and also the space between the edges of the plates filled with weld material as indicated by the numerals 6 and 7 respectively. During the welding process the buttstrap and plates are held together by bolts 8 and washers 9 as shown in Figure 11 and when the welding is completed the bolts and washers are removed and the holes filled with welding material. It will be noted that with this method it is not necessary to punch or drill holes in the plates or bevel the edges of the plates, as the holes for the bolts which hold the buttstrap and plates together are made in the buttstrap asindicated by the numeral 10, and the beveled surfaces required for welding are provided on the rib 3. Heretofore it has been necessary to machine a beveled surface on the edges of the plates, which is a very expensive operation, and the beveled surfaces held in abutting position against a plate by rivets thru the plates while welding, so that providing the beveled surfaces on the rib of the holes lled as hereinbefore described, therebyholding means in combination withA the butti10, or by any other means, and the lower edge of the buttstrap tack welded as shown at 15. The clamp may then be removed and the next plate -strake 16 positioned as shown in Figure 11 and held in place by bolts 8 and washers 9 as shown, while the upper edge of the buttstrap is tack welded and the space between the plates welded. The bolts and washers are then removedand the bolt forming a joint as shown in Figure 12.`

The buttstrap 1 shownin Figure 1 is provided with a backing 17 having a groove 18 therein with beveled edges 19 so ythat a plate as indicated by the dotted lines 20, may be held therein by welding between the edges 19 and the plate. It will be'understood that a plate or shape of any type or design may bje Welded in the groove- 18v and the groove may be located at any point on the buttstrap. In the design shown in Figure 8 the buttstrap l is provided with a ange or web 21 which may be of any shape or design and located at any point on the buttstrap. In the design shown the outer edge of the ange 21 is provided with beveled surfaces 22 and another member 23, which may also be of any shape or design, may be held to the flange 21 by bolts24 and washers 25 and 26 while it is being welded thereto, and after it is welded in place the bolts and washers may be removed. It will`be understood that the member 23 maybe omitted and the ange 21y lextended. to compensate therefor if desired.

As hereinbefore specied the'buttstrap 1 may be of any shape or design and may be made of any standard or other structural vshape by placing a V vrib on a flat surface thereof as shown in Figure 9. In all designs the buttstrap is provided with bolt holes 10 thru the rib thru which bolts may be placed for holding the buttstrap and plates together, and where the shape of the buttstrap is uneven, as shown in Figure 7,-washers, as indi-- cated by the dotted line's 27, may be used under the bolt heads, or the bolt heads may be made suiciently large or of any shape.

velectrode is'applied to the rib it will ow and form the weld ll between the plates thereby providing an automatic weldas additional welding material y will not `be required. The entire buttstrap, which in indicated by the numeral 31, is made of welding material and as the electrode is applied to the edges 32 and 33 they will now against, the surfaces of the plates and weld the edges of the buttstrap to the plates. The buttstrap 31 and the plates may be heldv by bolts 34 andwashers 35, and the washersk may be provided with recesses 36 to c lear the rib and permit bearing upon the platesA as shown. After the weld has been completed the bolts may be removed and the holes lled. It will be understood that the buttstrap 31 may be made in any ofthe designs shown for the buttstrap 1 or of any other design or shape.

It will be understood that other changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. One of which changes may be in the use of this method of welding for any other purpose'than for boilers, tanks, and ship construction as specified, another may be in the use of other means for clamping the buttstraps and plates together instead of the'bolts and washers as shown, another may bein the use of additional welding surfaces on the buttstraps, and still another may be in the use of a plurality of buttstraps in combination, or in the use of other straps.

The construction and general application will be readily understood from the foregoing description. In use the buttstraps will be provided as lshown and used as described for Welding the edges of plates together. The description is particularly adapted for horizontal welds, however the vertical joints will be made inthe same manner, and preferably after the horizontal welds have been made. The same construction may be used for cylindrical tanks and after the side walls have been completed the erection of the roof may be startedv using the same procedure.

In using this specially designed V rib buttstrap the punching of holes in the plates is eliminated which eliminates laying out the holes in the drafting room and shop, and as the beveled edges are also eliminated allmachine work is eliminated, so that the plates do not have to be shipped to the shop, and can be ordered to the exact size and shipped directly to the eld. The V rib buttstraps will be manufactured in standard proles with the holes drilled ready for use in the field. It will be.v noted that the V ribs-will practically i'lll the space between the edges of the plates so that very little welding material will be required.

Having thus fully described the invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A method of welding which consists in positioning edges of plates substantially in abutting relation, placing a buttstrap along said edges and on one side thereof, said buttstrap having a tongue extending into a space between the edges of the plates, bolting said buttstrap tov-the plates thru then space between the edges of the plates, weld-I ing said buttstrap to the plates, removing said bolts and closing the openings from which the bolts have been removed.

2. Av method of welding as described in claim 1 in which the edges of the buttstrap are welded to the adjoining surfaces'of the plates and a space between the edges of thevplates is lled Aby the material of the tongue extending from the buttstrap.-

GUSTAV W. MEIER. 

